Compressed gas cylinders may become unserviceable for several reasons such as valve assembly failure, damage or deterioration to the cylinder body, and/or damage or deterioration of pipe/hose connections associated with the valve assembly. The hazardous nature of compressed gas cylinders in a deteriorated condition has become the focus of increasing attention resulting in government regulations which limit the uncontrolled discharge of their contents to the environment.
Examples of cylinder rupture vessels or containment vessels used for safely removing hazardous contents from deteriorated compressed gas cylinders are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,180 titled "Cylinder Rupture Vessel"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,333 titled "Cylinder Rupture Vessel with Clamps for Immobilizing a Container Within the Vessel", and U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,219 titled "Cylinder Rupture Vessel". These patents disclose containment vessels and their associated systems to secure a gas cylinder or similar container within the containment vessel and to puncture or pierce the cylinder in a safe, controlled manner. The cylinder rupture vessels and their associated systems allow for environmentally acceptable removal of the contents from the cylinder and further processing of the contents as desired. The above-listed patents are incorporated by reference for all purposes within this application.
Deteriorated gas cylinders may be ruptured in a safe, controlled manner by using a puncture spike or punch as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,180. Hydraulic drill assemblies, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,333, have also been used to penetrate gas cylinders to allow the controlled release of the contents of the cylinders within a containment vessel. In addition, various types of projectiles have previously been fired at gas cylinders positioned within a containment vessel to rupture the walls of the gas cylinder to release the contents from the gas cylinder into the interior of the containment vessel.